Skink—No Surrender

Heyborne’s easy-on-the-ears narration offers readily distinguishable voices for the characters of Richard, Skink, and Malley in Hiaasen’s first book for teens. Heyborne’s smooth vocal transitions from one speaker to the next, combined with Hiaasen’s irresistible plot and dialogue, is a pleasure to listen to. The adventures begin when 14-year-old Richard discovers that his cousin Malley has run off with a troubled and dangerous man she met on the Internet. After a chance meeting with Richard, former Florida governor Skink joins the mission to find Malley before she is harmed. Heyborne believably conveys Richard and Skink’s shift from strangers to comrades, as their quest finds them working in unison to overcome inclement weather, unpredictable animals, and worst of all, irrational humans. Hiaasen’s relationships ring true. His writing is spot-on, and, as a result, listeners will shirk their plans so that they may continue listening, eager to learn what happens next. Ages 12–up. A Knopf hardcover. (Sept.)